Undergraduate Courses

EE 100 Environmental Change & Sustainability

Introduces natural and social science concepts that underlie global environmental change and sustainability. Topics include climate change, biodiversity, energy, water, pollution, deforestation, agriculture, population growth. Sustainable development illustrated with ecological footprint based on student’s lifestyle. CAS social science divisional credit. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning. Offered every semester.

EE 101 Natural Environments: The Atmosphere

An introduction to weather and climate. Topics include the controls of weather and climate, day-to-day variations in weather, severe storms, climates of the world, urban climate and air pollution, past climates and climatic change, and the impact of climatic variations on society. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I.

EE 105 Crises of Planet Earth

After covering the origin of the universe, earth and life, the course examines two topics: natural hazards, including earthquakes and volcanoes; and human impacts on Earth, including climate change, ozone depletion, pollution, and increasing demands on mineral and energy resources. Offered every semester. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 107 Introduction to Climate & Earth System Science

Introduction to the Earth as an integrated system composed of interacting biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, and atmosphere subsystems. Major themes include earth system stability, instability and capacity for change on all time scales, including human-induced climate change. Offered every semester.This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 142 Introduction to Beach & Shoreline Processes

Coastal processes, including tidal currents, wave action, longshore transport, and estuarine circulation; barrier island and spit formation; study of beaches, dunes, and marshes; effects of tectonics, glaciers, and rivers on beaches and coastal morphology. Cape Cod field trip. Offered every Spring. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.

EE 144 Oceanography

Examines the physical, geological, chemical, and biological processes that govern the oceans with a focus on how the ocean is impacted by and also moderates the pace of global change. Dynamic nature of the oceans on both a short- and a long-term scale is emphasized. Offered every Fall. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning.

EE 150 Sustainable Energy: Technology, Resources, Society, & Environment

Examines the social, environmental, and technological aspects of renewable and nonrenewable energy systems. Discusses energy issues in context of globalization, climate change, and sustainable development. Explores lifestyle and policy decisions related to energy issues. Offered every Spring. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 201 World Regional Geography

Overview of the special combination of environmental, historical, economic, and organizational qualities of the regions of the Old World including Western and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, East and South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Emphasis on current issues of regional and global development. Offered every semester. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 250 The Fate of Nations: Climate, Resources, & Institutions

Environmental contribution to the rise and fall of civilizations. Focus is on how the environment influenced the ideas and organization of societies, and how those ideas and power structures allowed the society to flourish or collapse. Interdisciplinary approach that unites ideas from history, ecology, and economics. Offered every Spring. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.

EE 270 Data, Models, and Analysis in Earth & Environment

Prerequisites: EE 107 or EE 100 (or equivalent), or consent of instructor. Introduces key questions, types and sources of data, and analytical methods in earth and environment, and introduces students to an array of quantitative methods from both the natural- and social-science disciplines. Offered every semester. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning I, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 300 Earth’s Rocky Materials

After a short foray into the atom, mineral properties, and crystal structures, this course, utilizing an Earth Systems approach, begins its exploration with the mineral phases of the core and deep mantle. Crustal mineralogy and petrology follows, including minerals, and the rocks that contain them, produced from both magmatic and metamorphic processes. Subsequent sections investigate near-surface hydrothermal systems and minerals and rocks produced in surface (sedimentary) processes. The final sections will look at the mineralogy of the biosphere, including extreme life, and mineral health issues. Offered every Fall. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Quantitative Reasoning I.

EE 302 Remote Sensing of the Environment

Prerequisites: EE 100 or EE 101 or EE 105 or EE 107 or PY 105 or BI 117. Introduction to sensor systems, methodology of remote sensing, and basic concepts of image analysis. Presents the ways in which remotely sensed data can be used in scientific investigations and resource management. Offered every semester. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Teamwork/Collaboration.

EE 304 Environmentally Sustainable Development

Traces the emergence of sustainable development as a defining challenge of our times. Surveys and evaluates approaches for balancing ecological sustainability and human development in various parts of the world and at the global level. Also offered as IR 304. Offered every semester. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 305 Rock Deformation and Structure

Prerequisites: EE 107. Foundations of rock deformation and structural geology in a plate tectonics context. Emphasizes identification and analysis of rock structures in hand sample and in the field, collection and interpretation of 2D and 3D structural data, and synthesis of geologic histories. Offered every Fall.

EE 308 Introduction to Global Resource Geopolitics: Natural Resources, Development, & Conflict

Introduces students to the relationship between natural resources, geopolitics, and conflict. Examines the effect of this relationship on development, peace, and security around the globe. Emphasis on conflict minerals, energy commodities, and technology metals. Also offered as IR 308. Taught in Summer by International Relations faculty.

EE 309 Intermediate Environmental Analysis & Policy

Prerequisites: EE 100 and EC 101. Introduction and critical analysis of the economic and ecological foundations of sustainability. Applications to biodiversity, land use, energy, climate change, resource curse, ecological footprint, and planetary boundaries. Offered every Spring. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 310 Climate & the Environment

Prerequisites: MA122 or MA124 and PY 211; or consent of instructor. Understanding physical processes of the atmosphere, ranging in scale from tornadoes to global winds. Emphasis on providing physical explanations of atmospheric phenomena and impact of weather on humanity. Satellite and weather modification technology. Offered every Fall. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation.

EE 317 Introduction to Hydrology

Prerequisites: EE 105 or EE 107 or EE 140 or EE 142 or EE 144; MA 121, 123, or 127, or consent of instructor. Introduction to the science of hydrology and to the role of water as a resource, a hazard, and an integral component of the Earth’s climatic, biological, and geological systems. Offered every Spring. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I, Teamwork/Collaboration.

EE 347 Water Resources & the Environment

Examines global water resource systems, with emphasis on questions of culture, development, gender, social inequality, politics. Analyzes social relations and historical legacies that shape water infrastructure, distribution, and meaning. Cases from Africa, Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, South America. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.

EE 351 Paleoclimatology & Paleoceanography

Prerequisites: EE 105 or EE 107 or EE 142 or EE 144. EE 101 recommended. Examines causes and effects of climate change throughout Earth’s history. Topics include ice age climates and glaciations; oceanic history; linkages between Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets; tectonic effects; ice-core, coral, and marine sediment records; El Niño; terrestrial extinctions. Offered every Spring. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Quantitative Reasoning II, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 365 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Prerequisites: MA 115 or EC 203 equivalent. Practical hands-on computing experience using GIS for analyzing data from maps and other sources. Analytical functions unique to GIS are emphasized, as are applications in archaeology, land use planning, environmental monitoring, and other fields. Offered every Spring. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning I, Scientific Inquiry II.

EE 371 Introduction to Geochemistry

Prerequisites: CAS ES/EE 105 or ES/EE 107 or ES/EE 142 or ES/EE 144; and CH 101 or CH111 or CH171 or CH131; or equivalent. Chemical features of Earth and the solar system; geochemical cycles, reactions among solids, liquids, and gases; radioactivity and isotope fractionation; water chemistry; origins of ore deposits; applications of geochemistry to regional and global problems. Offered every Spring. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 375 Introduction to Quantitative Environmental Modeling

Prerequisites: CAS EE 270 or MA 115 or MA 213; or equivalent. Introduces students to quantitative models of environmental systems. Emphasizes application of quantitative models to environmental problem solving. Includes computer exercises with examples from current environmental issues such as population growth, pollution transport, and biodiversity. Offered every semester. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Digital/Multimedia Expression.

EE 394 Environmental History of Africa

Focus on the African environment and ecological systems over the past 150 years. Topics include climatic change, hydrography, agriculture, deforestation, soil erosion, disease, conservation, famine,and the role of colonialism and government policy in environmental change. Also offered as HI 351. Taught by History faculty. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 395, 396 Sustainability Science: Earth House Practicum 1, 2

Prerequisites: Sophomore standing and residency in Earth House. Learn and live sustainability through theory and practice in BU’s Earth House. Explore and enact options to enhance sustainability through technology, policy and behavioral change. Propose specific actions toward achieving the longer-term goal of a carbon-neutral Earth House. EE 395 fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Scientific Inquiry II. EE 396 fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Ethical Reasoning.

EE 400 Environment & Development: A Political Ecology Approach

Prerequisite: Senior standing or consent of instructor. Theory and practice of development with an explicit focus on environmental issues. Introduces history of development and the environment; explores select themes in development and environmental studies (e.g. rural livelihoods, conservation, urbanization, and climate change); and considers alternative development paradigms. Meets with EE 600. Offered every Spring.

EE 422 Aquatic Optics & Remote Sensing

Prerequisites: EE 107 and EE 270 (or MA 213); or consent of instructor. EE 302 is recommended. An introduction to the use of optical measurements and remote sensing to study the biogeochemistry and water quality of aquatic environments. Covers fundamental concepts and measurements in optics/remote sensing and provides hands-on experience with real data. Meets with EE 622. Offered every other Fall. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 423 Marine Biogeochemistry

Prerequisites: CH 101 and 102, admission to BUMP or EE 144, or consent of instructor. Over the past decades biogeochemistry has become an essential tool to further our understanding of human impacts on the globe. In this class we discuss coastal and open ocean biogeochemical cycling and how these cycles have been altered by global change. An emphasis is placed on the linkages between local and global scales. We also discuss how biogeochemical tools help unravel various environmental questions. Topics include, but are not limited to marine primary production, iron limitation and fertilization as a response to climate change, oceanic glacial-interglacial biogeochemical cycles, biogeochemical cycles in wetlands and mangroves, and impacts of nutrient pollution on the coastal ocean. Meets with EE 623 and BI 423/623. Also offered as BI 423. Offered every Spring. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Scientific Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 443 Terrestrial Biogeochemistry

Prerequisites: BI 107 or EE 105 or EE 107 and CH 101/102, or consent of instructor. The patterns and processes controlling carbon and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Links between local and global scales are emphasized. Topics include net primary production, nutrient use efficiency, and biogeochemical transformation. Meets with EE 643 and BI 643. Meets with BI 443. Taught by Biology faculty.

EE 444 Digital Image Processing – Remote Sensing

Prerequisite: CAS EE 302 or equivalent. At least introductory statistics (and preferably multivariate statistics) recommended. This course pursues both the algorithms involved in processing remote sensing images and their application. Topics include preprocessing, image transformations, image classification and segmentation, spectral mixture analysis, and change detection. Examples cover a wide range of environmental applications of remote sensing. Students do a project. Meets with EE 644. Offered every Spring.

EE 445 Physical Models in Remote Sensing

Prerequisites: EE 302 or equivalent. Devoted to understanding the physical processes involved in remote sensing. Emphasis based on topics of radiative transfer in the atmosphere, at the surface, and in sensors. Reflectance modeling, advanced sensor systems, and geometric effects. Meets with EE 645. Offered every other Fall.

EE 446 Remote Sensing of the Lower Atmosphere

Prerequisites: EE 302 and EE 310 or consent of instructor. Remote sensing has transformed the study of Earth’s atmosphere. Learn the principles of retrieving meteorological parameters (humidity, temperature, precipitation) and key atmospheric constituents (clouds, greenhouse gases, aerosol) from satellite observations. Explore applications to climate change, disaster monitoring, and public health. Meets with EE 646. Offered every other Spring. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Quantitative Reasoning II.

EE 460 Resource Economics and Policy

Prerequisites: MA 121 or MA 123 or MA 124, or equivalent; EC 101 or equivalent; or consent of instructor. Economic and policy analysis of food, energy, and water, and the management of food, energy, water and land resources. Introduces resource economics and static and dynamic optimization as analytical frameworks for understanding the optimal management of scarcity, externalities, and impacts of environmental change on, and adaptation/vulnerability of, resource use. Meets with EE 660. Offered every other Fall.

EE 475 Urban Ecology

Prerequisites: CAS EE 100 or CAS EE 101; and one of the following: CAS BI 306, CAS BI 443 or GRS BI 643, CAS EE 456 or GRS EE 656, or CAS BI 530 or CAS EE 530; or consent of instructor. This course explores the biophysical environments and ecology of urban settlements. Key topics covered include the physical environment (particularly climate & water), patterns in human population growth and development, ecosystem structure and function (net primary productivity, soils, nutrients cycling, organismal populations), global change (urban growth, disturbance, climate change), urban environment pollution and management (air and water quality), and sustainable urban development policies and regulations. Meets with BI 475. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II, Teamwork/Collaboration. Offered every Spring.

EE 483 Environmental and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics

Prerequisites: MA 123 or MA 124 or MA 127 or MA 129, and CAS PY 211; or consent of instructor. Large- and small-scale phenomena in oceanic, atmospheric, and landsurface fluids. Properties of gases and liquids; surface and body forces; statics; flow analysis; continuity and momentum conservation. Darcy’s Law; potential, open channel, and geostrophic flow; dimensional analysis; diffusion, turbulence. Meets with EE 683. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Scientific Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.

EE 501 Advanced Topics in Remote Sensing

Prerequisite: EE 302. Examines advanced concepts in radiative transfer and information extraction relevant to remote sensing. Emphasis on applications of digital image processing to remote sensing problems. Offered every Fall.

EE 503 Micrometeorology: Energy & Mass Transfer at the Earth’s Surface

Prerequisites: EE 310, MA 121, and PY 211. Modern theories and techniques for measurement and analysis of physical processes occurring at the Earth’s surface: radiation regimes; energy and mass exchange; agricultural and forest micrometeorology, remote sensing, and modeling of land surface properties and processes. Offered every other Spring.

EE 504 Physical Climatology

Prerequisite: EE 310 or consent of instructor. Physical factors and processes operating in the earth-atmosphere boundary zone. Solar radiation, expotranspiration, and water balance studies for various natural and cultural environments. Examples include bioclimates of vegetation, air-sea interaction, urban climate, physiologic climatic parameters, and climatic change. Offered every other Spring.

EE 505 Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Prerequisites: EE 365 and MA 213. Provides a theoretical and practical introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Introduces the essentials in GIS, methods of data capture and sources of data, nature and characteristics of spatial data and objects, data structures, modeling surfaces, volumes and time, and data uncertainty. Emphasis is on applications. Laboratory exercises included. Offered every Fall.

EE 507 Dynamical Oceanography

Prerequisites: MA 124 or MA 127; and PY 211. Introduction to the physical ocean system. Physical properties of seawater; essential ocean dynamics; mixing and stirring in the ocean; simple waves; observed current systems and water masses; and coupled atmosphere-ocean variability. Offered every other Spring.

EE 508 Data Science for Conservation Decisions

Prerequisites: EE 270 or other intro to statistics; EE 375 or other intro to programming. Recommended: EE 365, EE 505, or other intro to geospatial data. Application of quantitative methods to support conservation decisions. Ecosystem value mapping, systematic conservation planning, policy instrument design, rigorous impact evaluation, decision theory, data visualization. Implementations in state-of-the-art open-source software. Real-life case studies from the U.S. and abroad. Offered every Fall. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 509 Applied Environmental Statistics

Survey of modern probability-based statistical methods in environmental science. Core concepts in likelihood and Bayesian approaches are used to address spatial, time-series, and latent variable models and non-Gaussian, non-linear, heterogenous, and missing data. Project-based course focused on applications to data. Offered every other Spring. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Writing-Intensive Course.

EE 511 Introduction to the Atmospheric Boundary Layer

Prerequisites: EE 310; two semesters of calculus (MA 123 and 124, or 127, or 129), one semester of statistics (MA 213, or EE 270, or equivalent), one semester of physics (PY 211 or 251); or consent of instructor. Covers the basic dynamics of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL), with a focus on the ABL processes and modeling. Introduces statistical descriptions of turbulent flows in the atmosphere and the connection between the ABL and other environment/climate system processes. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Scientific Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 512 Urban Climate

Prerequisites: one semester of physics (PY 211, 212, or 251); one semester of calculus (MA 123 or 124, or 127, or 129) is recommended; or consent of instructor. Introduction to urban microclimate within the context of global climate change. Basic climate processes in urban systems; urban heat islands; mixing and dispersion; modeling and observational techniques; anthropogenic emissions; climate change impacts on cities; mitigation and adaptation. Offered every Fall. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Scientific Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 514 Dynamic Land Surface Hydrology

Prerequisites: MA 121 or MA 123 or MA 127 and one of: CH 101, CH 111, CH 131, CH 161, CH 171, or PY 105, PY 211, PY 233, PY 251. Land surface hydrology with emphasis on the unsaturated zone. Development and applications of physics governing transport of water, vapor, and heat in soils and the near surface atmosphere. Effects of vegetation, topography, and water table on runoff, evapotranspiration, and recharge.

EE 516 Multivariate Analysis for Geographers

Prerequisites: GE/EE 270 or MA 214 or equivalent, and GE/EE 375, or consent of instructor. Applications of multivariate techniques to problems in spatial context, emphasizing interpretation. Review of regression and analysis of variance. Introduction to topics including canonical correlation, factor analysis, discriminant and clustering analyses. Offered every Fall.

EE 519 Energy, Society, & the Environment

Prerequisite: EE 309 or equivalent. Examination of the role of energy in meeting human needs and environmental change. Topics include the history of energy, climate change, energy and climate justice, energy and the economy, and sustainable development. Offered every Fall.

EE 521 Law for Sustainability

Survey of the major features of environmental law and relevant procedural and constitutional issues. Comparison of practical realities (political, economic, social, geographic, biological) with the ideal context for what should be. Projects include legal research and mock advocacy. Offered every Fall.

EE 522 The Development of Sustainable Environmental Responsibility

In-depth look at environmental policy and decision-making: how society addresses environmental problems. Includes discussion of the environmental movement, law, science, technology, economics, and international relations. Examines new issues facing environmental professionals and approaches to creating a sustainable world. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation. Offered every Spring.

EE 523 Marine Urban Ecology

Marine urban ecology is an emerging, interdisciplinary field that aims to understand how human and ecological processes can coexist in human-dominated systems. Topics, ecosystems, and organisms associated with urbanization in the Greater Boston area. Taught by Biology faculty. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration.

EE 524 Environmental Justice

Prerequisite: junior standing or consent of instructor; First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). Exploration of the origins of and current trends in environmental justice activism and scholarship. Introduces empirical evidence of environmental (in)justice, links contemporary environmental problems to historical and broader political-economic processes, and explores a range of responses to environmental injustice. Offered every other Spring. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, The Individual in Community, Social Inquiry II.

EE 525 Plant Physiological Ecology

Prerequisite: BI 303 or BI 306 or BI 305, and CH 101, PY 211, or equivalent. In-depth treatment of eco-physiological responses of plants and communities to environmental factors and climate change, as well as plant and community level impacts on the environment as manifested primarily in hydrologic, energy, and carbon cycles.

EE 528 US Environmental Policy

Previously offered as EE 425/625. Prerequisite: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120); EE 100 or equivalent; EE 309 or equivalent; or consent of instructor. Survey and historical overview of key environmental policies and regulations in the United States. Emphasis on policy development, including formulation and implementation of federal pollution control regulations since the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970. Considers possible future policy needs. Offered every other Fall. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 529 Modeling & Monitoring Terrestrial Ecosystems Processes

Prerequisites: EE 302; BI 306 or 303 (or equivalents). Concepts and problems at the interface of ecosystem process modeling and satellite remote sensing; current methods and challenges in modeling terrestrial primary production at regional-to-global scales; capabilities, limitations, and prospects of satellite remote sensing as a tool for collecting biotic and abiotic data in ecosystem process studies. Offered every other Fall.

EE 530 Forest Ecology

Prerequisites: BI 107 and BI 303 or BI 306, or consent of instructor. The major biotic and abiotic factors influencing forest ecosystem composition, structure and function. Role of solar radiation, hydrology, soils, succession, and management of forest ecosystems. Includes New England case study. Three hours lecture plus discussion. Meets with BI 530. Taught by Biology faculty.

EE 533 Quantitative Geomorphology

Prerequisites: MA 123 or MA 121 or MA 127 or MA 129. Quantitative analyses of surface processes that lead to landform evolution and landscape change. Emphasizes study of analytical techniques in understanding specific depositional and erosional processes; models of global landscape change; tectonic and climatic geomorphology. Offered every other Spring. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation.

EE 538 Research for Environmental Agencies & Organizations II

Students gain professional experience by working in teams on research projects that assist environmental and public health officials in achieving the missions of their agencies. Research areas may include solar energy, environmental justice, toxics, water quality, and lead poisoning. Offered every semester. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, The Individual in Community, Teamwork/Collaboration.

EE 539 Coral Reef Dynamics: Shallow Waters, Deep Time

Prerequisite: admission to BUMP. Tropical reefs– diverse, complex, and ancient– exhibit lawful cycles of growth, degradation, and regeneration. Explore these through observations on the Belize Barrier Reef in fossil reef environments and through laboratory experiments. Insights are applied to reef conservation in today’s changing world. Also offered as BI 539. Taught by Biology faculty. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Creativity/Innovation.

EE 540 Atmospheric Chemistry & Global Change

Prerequisites: CH 101 or CH 109 or CH 111 or CH 171; MA 123 or MA 127 or MA 129; GE/EE 270 or equivalent statistics course. An introduction to the chemistry and physics of atmospheric pollution, and the impacts of air pollution on human welfare and the environment. Highlights the interactions between air quality, the biosphere, climate, and sustainable development. Offered every other Spring. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Scientific Inquiry II.

EE 543 Estuaries & Nearshore Systems

Physical and ecological processes interacting in estuarine and nearshore environments, including salt marshes, beaches, lagoons, deltas, and in wave- and tide-dominated regimes. Lectures complemented by extensive field work oriented toward individual and group research projects. Offered every Fall. This course is part of a Hub sequence.

EE 545 Methods of Environmental Policy Analysis

Previously offered as EE 420/620. Prerequisites: MA 121 or MA 123 or MA 124, or equivalent; EC 101, or equivalent; or consent of instructor. A rigorous introduction to the economic analysis of environmental policy, and to the implications of the special character of environmental problems for public decision making. Introduces the tools available to environmental policy makers, and develops quantitative frameworks for analyzing their effectiveness, advantages, and disadvantages. Offered every Spring. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 555 World Oil Markets

Prerequisites: junior or senior standing; EC 102 or equivalent recommended. The world oil market is explained using the notion of supply chain. Each stage is described in terms of relevant theories from geology, economics, and politics, and how they interact to generate real-world behavior. Offered every Fall.

EE 557 Oceanography of Stellwagen Bank & Surrounding Waters

Prerequisites: admission to BUMP, and EE 144 and CH 101 and CH 102 (or CH 171 and CH 172); or consent of instructor. Nutrient distribution and physical oceanography of Stellwagen Bank and adjacent waters. Bathymetric influences and effects of ocean currents of biogeochemical parameters. Includes day-long cruises on NOAA research vessel. Offered as part of the Marine Semester. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration.

EE 578 Marine Geographic Information Science

Prerequisites: BI 260 and EE 144; MA 213 is recommended. Introduction to marine geographic information systems and spatial analysis for conservation, management, and marine landscape ecology. Comparative examples from Gulf of Maine and tropics. Solve problems in coastal zoning and marine park design, whale and coral reef conservation. Meets with BI 578. Taught by Biology faculty. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 585 Ecological Forecasting & Informatics

Prerequisites: BI 303 or BI 306; MA 121 or MA 123; MA 115 or MA 213 or EE 375; or consent of instructor. The statistics and informatics of model-data fusion and forecasting: data management, workflows, Bayesian statistics, uncertainty analysis, fusing multiple data sources, assessing model performance, scenario development, decision analysis, and data assimilation. Case studies highlight ecological forecasting across a range of subdisciplines. Offered every other Spring. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.

EE 591 Bio-Optical Oceanography

Prerequisite: admission to BUMP. This field- and lab-based course will explore how the optically active constituents in seawater affect the in-water light field, and in turn, how field optics and remote sensing can facilitate the study of marine biogeochemistry, biological oceanography and water quality. Meets with BI 591. Offered every other Fall.

EE 593 Marine Physiology & Climate Change

Prerequisite: BI 108. This course explores the range of physiological responses marine organisms exhibit in response to climate change. We will investigate the phenotypic plasticity exhibited across different organisms and how this plasticity can influence an organism’s resilience to its changing environment. Meets with BI 593. Taught by Biology faculty. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy.

EE 594 Global Environmental Negotiation & Policy

Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Key concepts, actors, concerns, and issues related to the process of negotiating global environmental policies. Overview of the international system and environmental problems; an international negotiation simulation; case studies of global agreements on ozone depletion, climate change, desertification, and biodiversity, among others. Meets with IR 594. Taught by International Relations faculty.

EE 597 Sustainable Development in Latin America

Prerequisites: EE 100 or IR 292 or IR 590 and junior standing, or consent of instructor. Provides an empirically based understanding of the social and environmental aspects of economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) for purposes of analyzing the numerous trade and development policies that nations in LAC are currently considering. Meets with IR 597. Taught by International Relations faculty.

EE 599 Science, Politics, & Climate Change

Applies a science and technology studies perspective to climate change science and policy. Examines the relationships between scientific and political systems at global, national, and local levels. Meets with IR 599. Taught by International Relations faculty.